Beauty and the Beast
by TheRumbleroar97
Summary: {Merthur Fairytale AU} Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a young prince named Arthur Pendragon lived in a shining castle as a beast, a punishment for his selfish and unkind ways. {Full description inside}
1. Chapter 1

_~ Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a young prince named Arthur Pendragon in a faraway land- in a shining castle as a beast, a punishment for his selfish and unkind ways. Ashamed of his monstrous form, the beast concealed himself inside his castle, with a rose his enchanter had given him. Truly an enchanted rose, it would bloom until his 21st year. If he could learn to love another, and earn his love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time. ~_

It was Arthur's sixteenth birthday, and his father, The King, was making it a big celebration. Arthur was finally only a few years closer to the coming of age, where he could be wed, and take over the kingdom himself. The festivities were to be huge, the most spectacular party that the land had ever seen. The Pendragons were rich, one of the wealthiest families the land had ever seen. But the Pendragons were also very selfish in their desires, and did not see well to the rest of the people in their times of need. It is on this day, the day of the very infamous Prince Arthur's sixteenth birthday, that the people would see change.

Prince Arthur was a very lustful man who sought any woman he saw fit and took her as a lover. Well, that's if you could see them as a lover, for they only slept in the Prince's bed once, and was never to be seen by the Prince again. Very few in the kingdom _hadn't _slept with the royal Arthur. Arthur whispered empty promises of love to the women and girls, only to break their hearts later on when he wished to be rid of them. Prince Arthur's sixteenth birthday, in Prince Arthur's opinion, should end with bringing a woman to bed. Although by the end of the night, the outcome would be very different then expected.

Arthur was being dressed by one of the few maids he hadn't slept with. "Make sure they're not creased," He ordered ruthlessly, "And make sure you can match them together. I will not attend my own banquet looking like fool," He tilted his chin in a pompous matter, waiting to be serviced.

When he was finally dressed, he strode out his room without so much of a thank you to the maid. Arthur arrogantly walked down the familiar corridors when he heard a rush of wind coming in his direction. The Prince stopped in his tracks and looked around, also bringing his hands up to fix his hair. "Who goes there?" Prince Arthur called out to the empty hall. He gave a speculating look, but shrugged it off as he turned around to get to the Great Hall.

The Prince was caught off guard when he turned around and saw a very… well a very ugly person in front of him. Arthur did not try to mask his disgust as he pulled a face to the person. They had more wrinkles on their face then Arthur had years and seemed to have sucked on lemons for the past century. Their hair was white as it passed below their mid-back. Arthur straightened his posture as he looked at the person in the eyes, which seemed dull of color and almost… grey.

"Arthur Pendragon," The woman spoke. Arthur gave the person a look and raised an eyebrow. "Yes?" He replied. The Prince knew this was not a guest to his party, his father would never allow such kind to his party…. nonetheless the castle. The woman tilted her old held and appeared to death glare- and no one ever gave the Prince of the bloody Kingdom a _death glare. _

"Arthur Pendragon," The woman repeated this time in a more proclaiming voice, "Today you are sixteen, am I correct?"

"Yes but-"

"You will not interrupt me Sir Arthur," The woman's smile went into a tight line, "You will listen to what I say."

Arthur nodded.

"You have been a selfish man for your whole life, Prince Arthur. You have no shame in breaking young and old hearts of people everywhere. You're compassion is invisible and you are a selfish man with no consideration of others. You must pay the price for your sins and crimes," The woman took her hand out of her cloak, "You will be cursed. You will be a beast. One women wouldn't dare touch, or even look at. You shall be a disgrace to your kingdom, a disgrace across the lands."

Arthur widened his eyes at this. What was this woman on about? She couldn't do anything to him, not even if he tried, he could easily call guards and have her killed immediately. The only problem was, he was in a deserted corridor, for all the people in the castle had been sent to the Hall for the feast. Which, Arthur reminded himself, he should be at. "You cannot do this, I'm a prince," Arthur tried, "I have gold, if that's what you want. I'll give you acres of land, all the maids and servants this castle can spare-"

"I do not need your charity, Prince," The woman spat, "I want the change of your heart. You must have someone fall in love with you. Not your looks, your royalty, purely you. Which; good luck with," She eyed disapprovingly, "I shall present you a rose," She said, pulling out a rose from within her cloak, "It will bloom until that year comes to pass, and when you turn twenty-one, the petals will start to fall. If you do not find one to love you for you, you will be cursed as this beast forever."

Arthur knitted his eyebrows together. This wasn't happening. No, not to him. Not the Prince. Not the King's Son. Not _Arthur_.

The woman touched his chest unexpectedly. Suddenly, Arthur felt a coldness shadow over him, as he immediately noticed his skin begin to crawl unpleasantly. The woman wasn't lying, and that thought alone made Arthur chill to the bone. Once the coldness was everywhere, the woman pulled away. Arthur fearfully looked at the woman with a frightened expression. He ran for a mirror, anything that could show what he looked like.

Finding a full-length mirror, he looked at his reflection, well… the _Beast's_ reflection. Prince Arthur almost screamed, in fact, he was pretty sure a noise had blurted out of his mouth. His reflection was scary looking. He had blonde fur all over, almost as if he was a lion. Arthur looked at his hands, which had turned into claws; black, unclean, claws. He reached up to his face, which was covered in boils, and those boils were covered with more of the ugly-colored fur. Looking down at his body, he saw he had gained more weight. He almost looked like a bear, or worse…

_A lion_.

Arthur turned to face the woman, but saw nothing.

Except a small rose on the floor in a vase.

The Prince grabbed it and ran.

Arthur Pendragon was disgusted with himself and forced himself to leave the castle. He was unnoticed, seemingly because everyone was at his feast. His sixteenth birthday… And he had gotten this as a present.

The Prince found himself a castle, which, surprisingly, looked like it had been waiting for him. He had never seen this castle before, and assumed the witch had something to do with it.

He ran inside, shedding tears of shame, and found himself in a rich home. The halls seemed to run forever, like Arthur had all the space in the room. Strangely, he had never felt more alone in his life.

There was another thing that Arthur found extremely disturbing and unnatural. All the halls were filled with mirrors, every which way a mirror stood, for a lasting reminder of what Arthur really was.

He growled and broke all the mirrors. One by one, the shattered glass sprayed across all the floors and the walls. Some stuck to his skin – fur, but it seemed as if Arthur couldn't feel a thing.

The Beast began to topple over everything in sight, all the mirrors left standing, the chairs left idly by someone who never even existed. The Beast screamed and screamed until the palace was destroyed, and no trace of himself could be seen.

Then he cried as he walked to a bed chamber. And cried, and cried. For one thought surrounded all.

"**For who could ever learn to love a beast?"**


	2. Chapter 2

(_A/N: Bastard = One who is born when the parents aren't married._)

Merlin was one of the stranger people in his village. He had his mother, Hunith, who was famous for her fantastic pumpkins that everyone in the village would kill over. The town liked Hunith, but was very speculative on Merlin; the village idiot, they liked to call him. Merlin did have one friend; her name was Freya. Freya didn't judge Merlin too hard because in all honesty, Freya was the same way. The only reason people didn't hate on Freya for her actions because it was normal for a woman to enjoy baking, and decorating, and reading. It was a different story for a man who enjoyed similar things. In fact, no one did. Except Merlin.

Merlin walked down the busy dirt street with a grin on his face. He'd just finished a book and planned on returning it to the library. He didn't know what else he was going to read; it almost seemed like he'd read every book in existence, at least that's what Freya told him.

Hunith was at the fair in the city, selling more of her famous pumpkins to energetic buyers. Merlin and his mother lived off the pumpkin sales, and they never ceased to disappoint.

The boy continued walking through town, waving to everyone who passed him. Few waved back, or even acknowledged, but it didn't phase Merlin as he journeyed to the town.

Merlin heard the calls and taunts as he went, but he ignored them and walked on. He would see Freya soon, he suspected, and as long as he could last it until then, all would be well.

He didn't.

The familiar cackle of the infamous Mordred boomed from behind him. Merlin's first instinct was to run far, far away before the ruthless taunting began. But for some reason his feet stayed put, and turned on his heel to see the face of his enemy. "Is there something you'd like, Mordred? Or are you here to call me the normal, what was it yesterday? Poof, I believe. Something more clever in store for today?" Merlin asked, with an annoyed glint in his eye. Mordred just laughed, as his close 'friend' Morgana, trailed behind. "It might've been poof, or dork, or creature? What does it matter anyway, you're all three," Mordred smirked, glancing at Morgana for a look of approval. Merlin rolled his eyes, "I don't have time for this Mordred, now if you'll excuse me," and Merlin turned around, his path set straight ahead, no matter what Mordred said. Of course, more insults were thrown but Merlin blocked them out. He couldn't find himself to be bothered, as he walked into the library to return the book to the librarian, Gaius.

"Hello Gaius! I've come to return this," Merlin said as he held the book out in front of him. Gaius looked surprised, "All ready my dear boy? Why, you've only had it for what… two days?" He raised both eyebrows and went to place the book back on it's rightful shelf. Merliln smiled, "Too much free time I'm afraid, that and the book was one of the best I've read."

Gaius chuckled, "Oh, you say that every new book you check out. Are you looking for a new one?" The old man said as he hobbled back to where Merlin was standing. "As a matter of fact, I am. Any suggestions?" He asked as he walked over to some shelves. Gaius thought for awhile, but then had an idea. He scurried into one of the other rooms then came back with a heavy duty novel. "This one should do, it's about a Prince who pulls a sword out of a stone. It's a very heavy read, but I assume you'll like it," Merlin was about to pull out some coins but Gaius just waved him off, "Take it for free my boy, it's a thank you for being one of my favorite customers," Gaius did a playful wink then waved to him a goodbye.

On Merlin's way out, he ran into his friend. "Freya!" He exclaimed as he embraced his only friend. The girl hugged Merlin back and laughed. "Come now Merlin, it's like you haven't seen me in years," She joked as she released the hug. Merlin just smiled, grateful for the presence of someone who actually liked him.

"Put that book down Merlin, I'm bored and you're not going to read this whole time," Freya joked, but grabbed ahold of Merlin's wrist forcing Merlin to leave his book on the windowsill by the library. Conscious that anyone could take it at any given moment, but not being able to resist an adventure with Freya, Merlin let it be. He'd remember to pick it up later.

Before Merlin could protest, Freya had dragged him to the horse stable. The owner was a girl named Gwen, and it just so happened to be that Gwen and Freya were right well friends. "Why hello Freya!" Gwen greeted as she pulled her friend in for a quick hug. Gwen smiled sheepishly at Merlin, not to keen on being friends with him enough to say hello but polite enough to acknowledge his presence. "Bonjour Gwen, do you mind if me and Merlin here borrow a couple of horses? It'll only be for the day, we'll have them back before sundown, I promise," Freya asked smiling a flashing smile to Gwen. The horse handler smiled fondly, "Of course, and don't worry about paying, it's on the house!" The girl walked over and unlatched two of the steads from the stable. She gave a white horse to Freya, than a brown colored horse to Merlin. Guinevere waved them off as they climbed their steads and started off into the woods.

"I'll race you!" Freya hollered over to Merlin as she kicked her horse with the heel of her foot to pick up his pace. Almost in seconds, Freya was yards ahead of him, and Merlin wasn't going to let her off that easily. Merlin kicked his own stead and went ahead to catch Freya.

Freya's laughs boomed throughout the empty forest, and Merlin couldn't help but chuckle along with her. Sure, Merlin was a very reserved boy and didn't really go out looking for adventure, but Freya brought that side out of him. He assumed that he would never do this with anyone besides Freya, it's not like he'd have anyone to do it with anyway.

Freya's laughter had died somewhere along the way, Merlin noticed, and he grinned looking around while keeping horse ahead. Somewhere along the way, Merlin had made his way towards a fork in the road. He looked at both paths, one was worn down and well used, while the other had weeds overgrown in the path and branches hanging lower than usual. The boy just raised an eyebrow, ready to take his path on the left, when he heard a scream from the right. Without considering, Merlin kicked the horse and they started on the verge of the right path.

No matter how far he went he couldn't find Freya anywhere, then wondered where the scream could've come from. Maybe he had misheard and she was really on the left path? Merlin kept ahead, slower now, keeping his instincts high.

A shadow of red came rom the woods and Merlin tilted his head and peered through the trees. A girl, probably around the same age as Merlin, with a red cloak looked up at him. "Run!" She yelled breathlessly, "Grandmother's a wolf! RUN!" The girl screamed louder and sprinted ahead, dropping a basket of food along the way. Merlin watched as her figure disappeared and made a confused look. As far as he could see, no wolf was near enough to harm.

Then he heard a growl. Merlin swung his head around to see a snarling wolf at his tail and hurriedly grabbed ahold of his reigns and urged his horse to go faster. He could hear the growls from the wolf as he raced down the path. Merlin couldn't believe this was how he was going to die, over a wolf. Not that he had that much to live for anyway, but he just checked out a new book, and it would be a shame for that to get lost…

His horse was starting to go crazy, climbing on it's hind legs, neighing into the sky. "Aye!" Merlin tried to soothe, hurriedly petting it's mane to calm the horse. Freya couldn't afford to pay for the horse if it ran away, so he tightened his grip as he tried to keep it ahead.

Merlin finally found a place of rescue as he reached a barred gate. He almost cried in joy as he hurriedly scrambled off his horse, increasingly aware of the wolf gaining distance on him. "Help!" He called out from the other side of the gate. It had an eerily darkness around it, and the damp air made him shiver. He hit the bars. "Anyone? Help! Please!" He yelled out again, seeking for anyone to help him.

Merlin turned around and saw the wolf had come out from the woods and had made his way towards him. He gave up on formalities, and swung the gate open, forgetting his horse (much to his dismay), and ran inside the courtyard. Figuring he mine as well see who lived in this disastrous excuse for a castle, Merlin walked up the steps into the place.

"Hello?" He called out to the empty space. There was no lights, no people, and barely any furniture. Merlin had that unpleasant shiver go down his spine again. Where was he? Merlin tried again.

"Hello? Is anyone here?"

"Who the hell is that?"

"Oh don't be so hostile, Grumpy. We have a visitor!"

"Yeah, and how did the last one turn out? Horrific."

"Let's give this one a chance, come on!"

Merlin heard the hushed whispers echo throughout the hall, along with a few sneezes. "Is anyone there?" Merlin repeated softer this time; cautious. What if he'd been caught up in a serial killer's castle? He couldn't die like this, there was no way this was happening, it just simply couldn't be.

Merlin watched as a small wobbling figure came out from the shadows. He wore an overly too big night cap, along with a raggedy cloak and boots; boots similar to Merlin's but far more worn out and used. "Hello sir," The… _thing_… said with a small bow, "I'm Sleepy. Welcome to the castle!" Merlin widened his eyes as six more of the same thing came out from the shadows. They all looked similar, with the exception of the hats; each one had a different colored hat.

Merlin stood there, dumbfounded, until one of the things, who had glasses, came over. "Hello, my name's Doc," It grinned at offered Merlin a hand, "We're the Seven Dwarves. Nice to meet you, what's your name?" Doc smiled expectantly. Merlin just gaped like a fish before spluttering out his name. One of the dwarves sneezed and Merlin quickly said "Bless you," as a polite gesture. One of the other dwarves laughed, "Oh, you don't have to say bless you for ol' Sneezy here. He never stops, so it's best you don't get in the habit of it," They said, "My name's Happy, by the way."

Each one of the Dwarves introduced themselves; Doc, Happy, Sneezy, Sleepy, Bashful (even if he needed a little pushing), Dopey, and Grumpy. Merlin nodded, even if he was a bit dazed from the experience.

"You were talking about another person who came here, who were they?" Merlin asked randomly. Grumpy just snorted, "Snow White. She had some queen on her tail, then when Master tried talking to her she only complained about how her 'Prince Charming was gone'. Whatever, love is annoying," He finished. Merlin nodded then said, "Master? Who's Master?"

Just then a howl was heard from somewhere within the castle walls. Merlin looked around, frightened, and searched for a sign of something. "What was that?" He asked the others, who seemed unfazed by the howl.

"Well that," Happy said gleefully, "That would be Master!"


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: I'm hyperactively aware that most of you are going to complain on the usage of 'The Beast' instead of Arthur, but I assure you there is a reason for that. So if you're going to note something about that, don't please __ I know what I'm doing, I promise everything will be okay. Also, some dialogue is in italics, that is resembling screaming or yelling, I didn't want to use caps because… It just seems a bit childish for a fic, hm? Enjoy!_

Freya sighed and checked the sky. It had at least been half and hour since Freya had lost track of Merlin. She assumed he would sooner or later find his way to her, but she was losing faith by the minute. Her horse was tied to a tree as Freya searched for something to feed it with. She searched the forest ground, not finding anything in the trees. Frowning, Freya played with the cuffs of her sleeves. Merlin had to be in the forest still, couldn't he? He might have been know to be a clumsy fool, but surely he could maneuver his horse in the right direction? There was no way he took the other path, could he? Oh no; that's probably precisely what he did.

Freya gasped, horrified by the thought of Merlin being alone and helpless. He barely knew how to keep his feet from falling underneath him, how would he find his way back? And what did the right path lead to?

Freya walked to some dirt paths to divert her thinking. She stepped over to one path and peered at it peculiarly. There were little crumbs, inches apart, going down the path. Freya squinted and began to follow the trail. Who would make a path of bread crumbs on the forest floor? Only someone who was afraid of getting lost, of course. Freya continued to follow the crumbs, passing many trees and deeds along the way. The sun shined through the forest leaves, showing its various patterns on the ground below. The temperature was a comfortable heat as she wandered. So caught up was she in the surroundings that Freya didn't notice her stepping on something other than the ground.

"Oi! Do you mind?"

Freya jumped almost five feet in the air in fright and looked beneath her. Three little white mice with small little canes gathered around a pile of the familiar crumbs, and Freya gaped. "Y-You're mice! Mice who can- talk!" She stared wide-eyed. "Yes, mice," said One, "Mice who can't see. We can dance, sing, talk and prance but we have no vision to see!" The other two mice poked their canes aimlessly. Freya took pity on them and crouched down. "I know you can't see, but could you tell me where I am? I took a left at the fork in the road and I don't know what to do," She explained exasperated. Freya frowned as they all shrugged their mice shoulders. "We haven't known where we are since we lost our sight," said Three, as Two and One nodded in agreement. Freya sighed and ran a finger through her fringe. Just as she did this, a holler was heard from further down the path. Without thinking, Freya shot up and followed the yell. It was so like her; to play hero.

She found herself in quite a strange situation. Ahead of her, she saw a house made of pure candy. Of course, Freya knew of the weird old hermits who lived on the outskirts of the village, but this temptation to visit the house was great. She began to pad down the dirt path, taking in the lollipop trees and the seemingly candy cane fence. The house looked as though it had been carved like a gingerbread house, with gummy worm borders on the doors and windows. There was much more candy and frosting plastered all around, but Freya heard a yell again from inside and wasted no time rushing in the candy house.

If she had thought the outside was impressive, the inside of the home was almost like heaven. Cupcakes and pastries were at every turn, but Freya had no time to stop and stare as she watched two children shove an old woman into a furnace. Horrified was she that she yelled for them to stop but the two children persisted in shoving the poor old woman in. Freya rushed forward but it was too late, the smell of burned flesh soon began to fume and she had to rush out, as the two little children followed her.

Once they were outside, Freya began to outrage. "What do you two think you're doing! You just shoved a woman inside a oven as though she was dinner-!"

The little boy stepped forward, "You don't understand, Madam!" He began to explain, "Let me start from the beginning, my name is Hansel and this is my older sister, Gretel. We lost our way within the woods..."

And on he went of the story very well known. The old woman was going to eat the children but with Hansel and Gretel's quick cunning and courage, they outwitted the witch and shoved her in instead. Freya stood amazed as they both shared the tale, and sighed and ran another hand through her hair. "Since you two are both lost, I guess you have no idea where I am? I came across a fork in the road and obviously took the wrong path," She tried to explain. Both children looked up helplessly and shrugged their shoulders similar to the mice earlier. Gretel fiddled with the tail of one of her braids, "Excuse me Madam, but I'm afraid we have nowhere to go, since we've lost our family. Do you think we can join you in your expedition?" She smiled hopefully. Freya returned the smile and nodded, "Of course, come along, we have quite the adventure in store for us."

The Beast roared again as he made his way down the stairwell. Someone had entered his castle uninvited and he was not in the slightest bit happy about it. As he made his way down, he saw the boy, lanky and quirky looking, with his dark hair laid messily on top of his head. He was an odd type of beauty, and The Beast had to momentarily compose himself. No distractions from his mission to find someone to love him in return, and there was zero chance a boy as beautiful as him would ever return any feelings to a beast. He was a boy, and The Beast had also been a boy; it just couldn't be that this man was the one to cure the curse.

The Beast made his cape swoosh from behind and faced the boy, growling involuntarily. "Come here to stare at the beast, have you?" The Beast accused as he bared his teeth. It wouldn't be the first time he had been treated as some exhibit.

The boy began to stutter and began to try for some words. "N-no I just lost my way-"

"You are not welcome here!" Cried the Beast in fury coming close to his face. Before he had any more time to enrage more anger, one of the Dwarves behind him spoke up. "Master! Please, listen to the boy, he tells the truth!" Doc said from the side. "Silence!" Howled The Beast and looked back down at the boy. "Who are you, why do you come to my castle?" He asked. The boy looked up innocently, but with hidden bravery and stamina. "My name is Merlin, and I just lost my way on the road. Forgive me if I have /disturbed you/, but what makes you think I want to be here anymore then you want me to be here! It was a mistake and if it has bothered you that much I'll just-"

"No no!" The Dwarves protested. "No please, Merlin. You must stay, just let us talk to the Master, okay?" Said Dopey as he hurriedly made his way to The Beast. The other dwarves followed and Merlin turned away.

The Beast snarled but patiently waited for one of them to talk. Sleepy was the first one to speak, "Sir," he began, "What if he is the one to break the curse?"

The Beast gave him a look of hatred, "A boy? With me? I can't even get a woman to give me a second look what makes you think a boy will? And one of his charm?" The Beast scoffed, "It's hopeless," he said in a softer tone, "I'm a monster."

Dopey stared up at him frowning, "But today is your twenty-first birthday, don't you think this boy's appearance means something?"

"All it takes is a bit of work, Master," Doc piped in, "And I'm sure fate will present itself. We just need to be patient."

"Keep that rotten temper down too," Grumpy grumbled.

"Try to be polite," Sneezy sniffled out.

"And try to keep a conversation pleasant?" Bashful tried.

The Beast growled and they all bowed their heads. "I get the gist," he huffed out in aggravation.

The Beast turned back to Merlin, just as Merlin returned. "Just remember, polite!" Sneezy whispered from behind. The Beast tried his hardest not to bare his teeth or to snarl, and composed himself the best he could. "Would you like to... stay here and uh- eat with me, perhaps?" The Beast tried. Merlin frowned and gave him a disgusted look. "Why should I eat with you? You don't even care for me to be here anyway, so no, I don't think I will join you for dinner!" Merlin retorted. The Beast roared and looked at him angrily, "Why you little ungrateful p-"

"Patience Master, patience!" Hurriedly whispered Doc.

The Beast took a deep breath again and mentally shook himself. How dare he talk to him in such away? He was a bloody Prince; he had no right whatsoever! The Beast could have him hung-

The Beast stopped his train of thought and closed his eyes for a brief moment. This is the type of thinking that had gotten him with this horrific curse. He thought back to what the little dwarf had said; he would need to try for this love. It would most certainly not come easily. "You," The Beast started out, "must stay to eat dinner." Merlin gave him a disgusted look. "I will _not_-"

"_If you don't eat with me you don't eat at all_," The Beast roared, "I am the Master of this house and you shall do as I say!" He stomped his foot (which resembled a toddler) and bared his fangs. Merlin kept his stance, though his pupils shrunk to a dot. There was a silence where himself and The Beast stared into each others eyes, seemingly pure hatred between the two of them. Merlin huffed out a bit of a sob and ran away down towards the door, trying to get out. As he tried to pry the door open, he noticed it was locked. He tried again and again, but the door just wouldn't budge. Merlin kicked the door in frustration and demanded to be let out. The Beast huffed, "I'm sorry that's impossible," he sneered, "Once you're here, you're stuck for life."

"But what about that- that Snow White! She was here wasn't she? How come she was allowed to leave?" Merlin protested. The Beast raised an eyebrow and looked at the Dwarves. "Snow White? Who was Snow White?"

Bashful looked down at his toes. "A girl named Snow White came in, but she didn't close the door behind her, so she wasn't forced in-"

"_How come no one told me of this_," roared The Beast once more at the Dwarves. The all cowered and stared at their boots while The Beast raged. Merlin, on the other hand, had already had tears streaming down his cheeks.

The Beast looked at him in an odd way, it had been awhile since he had seen anyone cry. And when he did, he had been Prince Arthur and heartless, with no compassion. Seeing Merlin with this vulnerability effected The Beast in a way he had to look away for the moment being. If he let this feeling grow he knew he would have more of a trouble letting Merlin go. That was the only way people could leave this castle, if The Beast allowed them to, or if they left before the door had closed. Either way, Merlin was stuck here.

Merlin rushed past The Beast and towards the stairwell to escape the scene, obviously upset. The Dwarves chased after him, except Grumpy who stayed at The Beast's side. "What did I tell you? That temper of yours will be your downfall," he worded unmercifully, following suite in the others footsteps.

The Beast stood there, alone in the hallway. But then again, that's how it always was, right?


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: I mention the Woman Who Lives in the Big Shoe story in here, but I didn't want to just call her 'The Woman' so I named her Mother Hubbard for fairytale sakes. Try not to let it bother you that much? Also, I'd like to give a big shout out to the __television series 'Once Upon a Time' where I get some of these ideas from. Obviously; no copyright intended. I would watch it if you have the chance, it's on Netflix! I'm writing this while sneezing so bless me. Well now I'm just rambling, do enjoy the chapter! :) (No proofread... oops.)_

Merlin locked himself up in one of the rooms the Dwarves had shown him. He couldn't believe what he'd gotten himself into. Only with his luck that'd he'd been stuck in a cursed castle in which he had to live in for pretty much... forever. Maybe he could find out a way to break the curse on the door, but he doubted he'd be able to outwit it.

Dinner was served 4 hours ago and Merlin never made his appearance. He wondered why The Beast had seemed so keen into wanting Merlin to join him for dinner, and a pit-welling guilt slowly crept up on Merlin, and he immediately tried to crush it down. Why should he have to feel guilty? The Beast had been rude, but Merlin felt like there was some reasoning behind him being trapped in this castle.

His stomach growling interrupted his thoughts and Merlin moaned. Of course he was hungry, but he'd already missed the dinner so that was out of the question. Merlin thought about sneaking down into the kitchens to see if he could find anything to eat, maybe he could even get a cup of tea. After some conflict with himself, Merlin decided he'd go for it and left his room silently. He hoped no one would hear him or notice he wasn't in his room, but he knew he wouldn't be able to stay out that late. Those Dwarves had an uncanny obsession with him and he'd rather not have a scene with them.

Merlin padded down the stairwell and tried to find his way down to the kitchens. It wasn't that hard to find, all Merlin had to so was turn right and he saw the manifestation of a grand kitchen and dining area next to it. He was careful not too make much noise incase The Beast was near, but somehow Merlin doubted it and made his way to the kitchen.

The kitchen looked like someone hadn't used it in years, the dust had collected over time and all the plates and glasses and the sink looked almost untouched. Merlin did notice though that all the china cups and plates looked extremely expensive, even if never touched. He reached over to one of the glass-covered cases and pulled out a tea set; a kettle, a teacup, and a sugar canister. Merlin turned around and accidentally brushed the teacup and watched as is crashed to the ground with a loud clink. Merlin swore underneath his breath and reached down to pick it up, and noticed the cup didn't break, but merely had a little nick in it. He sighed a huff of relief and turned around and came face to face to The Beast's seemingly black eyes.

Merlin gasped and took at step back. The Beast didn't move; just stared at Merlin. "It-It didn't break," Merlin blabbed out unnecessarily, "It's just a chip." The Beast just rose his eyebrow slightly, and did a hidden smirk. "It's okay," he started out, "It's just a teacup," he finished quietly as he picked the kettle up with his paw-like hand and placed started to boil some water. Merlin watched his actions; confused. How come he hadn't been mauled yet? Didn't The Beast hate him? It sure seemed like that earlier.

When the kettle was done The Beast took the chipped cup and poured some tea into it, then took another cup and poured some in that. He took both cups and set them on the long table, The Beast on the right side and he put the other cup on the left side completely horizontal from him. He didn't invite Merlin, but the invitation was there unspoken. It took Merlin aback, confused him even. Once finally accepting the invitation he pulled out the chair and sat in the chair.

They sipped their tea in silence, not knowing where to start. What was Merlin to say? What would The Beast say? Merlin was stuck in this castle for what seemed like all eternity, so he should've been more keen into talking to this Beast he'd been forced to live with for the rest of his life, but for some reason he couldn't find it within him to do. The Beast had trapped him away from the world, away from Freya away from the town and away from his... _mother_. His mother would be worried sick that was for sure. Merlin rubbed a hand down his face and sighed. The Beast suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

"You should get to know me," he spoke. Merlin glared, "What if I don't want to get to know you." Merlin was aware of his unnecessarily harsh voice, and fought to bite back his words. But he couldn't take those words back, even when Merlin wished he could once he saw those black eyes shadowed with an almost kind of sadness, he couldn't take them back. The Beast simply took another sip of his tea and stared out to the snowy window. Merlin almost had forgotten how the winter season was starting. Calming his attitude and scratching aimlessly at his scarf, Merlin tried for conversation. "So, how long have you been in this castle?" He asked, hoping it wasn't too much. The Beast shared a glance with Merlin then quickly looked away again. "Five years ago on this date," he rumbled lowly. The Beast wished for no more questions on his past life, it would only spark questions and suspicions, and he couldn't afford to answer those things. Merlin nodded, "I see," he said. He searched his brain for something else to ask.

Merlin found himself surprisingly engaged in many different topics of conversation. The Beast would talk in short sentences, as if he was afraid to open up to Merlin, but Merlin made up for it. And _boy_ did Merlin like to hear the sound of his own voice; not that The Beast minded, of course. The topic changed from favorite colors to favorite type of food, the usual cliché conversation starters. Once Merlin got started on books, though, that's when everything else seemed to be irrelevant. The Beast watched out of the side of his eye as Merlin started to passionately talk about his favorite novels, poems, books, series; anything with literature. He found it quite fascinating and almost... _endearing_. Merlin had a bright glint in his eye as he went off about some Alice girl jumping in a well. The Beast watched as Merlin's facial expressions showed his feelings and his emotions and he couldn't hold back a slight smirk; and a VERY slight one at that.

They must've been talking for hours, because the exhaustion on Merlin's face was clearly showing, even if he had no intention to shut up. The Beast hid his amusement and made a slight coughing noise. "Merlin," he started off, voice surprisingly calm and smooth, "I thing you've had a bit of a tiring day, you're welcome to go and get some rest... if you'd like," The Beast added hastily. Merlin just nodded unfazed, "Of course, but don't let me forget to tell you the rest of the story. Wait until you hear all about the Queen of Hearts..."

The Beast nodded again as Merlin went off on his book again while he placed his and The Beast's teacups within the tiny sink. Merlin turned back around and looked up at The Beast's masked face. All of a sudden the tension came back, though not as strong as before. Merlin looked up, trying to muster some maturity, and made a small smile and spoke quietly, "Goodnight."

The Beast nodded and responded, "Goodnight, Merlin," and then he was gone.

The Beast felt a presence of _Arthur_ that he hadn't felt before.

"So you don't know where you are?" Freya asked the oldest, Gretel. Gretel shrugged hopelessly, "We were just with our father, and then went on a bit of an adventure; that's all. We didn't expect to get lost within the midst of it. I don't know where we live though, I'm sad to say," Gretel finished, playing with her braid. Hansel just stalked behind, being a very quiet one. Freya just nodded and sighed as they walked on. How was she ever going to find Merlin, when she didn't know where they were herself? They continued on with no destination, hopelessly searching the woods.

"Watch out!" Hansel called out from behind them and Freya stopped in her tracks. "What is it?" She asked when she didn't she anything coming her way. "At your feet," Hansel replied and Freya looked down. It was an odd little duck just staring widely up and Freya and the others, seemingly sad. Freya quirked her head as she examined the duck, before it started talking.

"No one notices me," The Duck said glumly, "I'm just the Ugly Duckling of course, mine as well step on me to rid my life from this beautiful Earth. Wouldn't want to taint it with my horrid ugliness."

Freya frowned, "Well aren't you just one big angsty fellow," She commented and held out her palm, "Who told you you're ugly? Some other little duckling? Because I say they're wrong," Freya said with sympathy. The Duckling shook his head, "My parents call me the Ugly Duckling, and you can too. Everyone calls me that," he added more sadly. Freya gasped and shook her head, "What kind of place is this where children are called ugly from their own parents? Has anyone got any shame?" Freya frowned and lowered The Duckling back on the ground. "I suppose you haven't got a clue where we are either?" Freya asked with an obvious shake of the head. _Of course_, she mentally scolded and continued down the path without another word.

They traveled for a long time; the Duckling had followed as the trio silently trekked on. Once Freya saw an actual home, she gasped and couldn't believe her eyes. In front of her laid a massive shoe, the biggest shoe Freya had ever see to be in fact. She was so mesmerized, she didn't even notice that her feet were taking her to the little... homelike shoe. Hansel and Gretel followed closely behind and watched as Freya knocked on the front door. There was much noise inside, noises of little children, Freya noted, as she waited for the door to be opened.

"Hello!" A chubby, plumpish woman greeted cheekily as she answered the door. "What brings you to my shoe?"

Freya gasped as she saw the sea of children within the shoe and looked back at the woman in front of her. "Are all those your children?"

"Yep! All forty-two of them!"

Freya choked on air and brought a hand to her stomach, "Forty-two? _Forty-Two Children_! Well, I've never heard of anything like the sort. That's impossible..."

The woman just kept a grin on her face, "What would your name be, my dear? I am Old Mother Hubbard, you can just call me Mother Hubbard," She said as she reached out a hand for Freya to shake. Freya took it hesitantly before replying back, "Freya. And this is Gretel," she introduced as she beckoned to Gretel, "Hansel," she added and beckoned to Hansel, "And that would be the Ugly Duckling," Freya finished with a huff and waved to the duckling. Mother Hubbard kept her grin, "Well, please join us for dinner, we were just about to start!"

Freya argued to not intrude but Mother Hubbard insisted and set the overly large table with little food, certainly not enough food for a family this size. Freya felt guilty, so she resigned to just taking the end piece of the stale bread and eating it rationally as the other children took more. Hansel and Gretel seemed to have the same reaction and took the sadder looking portions from the table.

Mother Hubbard brought up random conversations with her children, and they all replied eagerly. The chatter was a bit much, but it was nothing Freya couldn't handle. After a moment of silence Freya asked the question she had been asking everyone.

"Mother Hubbard, where are we exactly?"

Mother Hubbard smiled a warm smile, "I knew that question would come. Always does to newcomers," she added idly. She cleared her throat and sipped some of her water before beginning her tale.

"You are in the Land of the Cursed. Everyone in this retched land is cursed one way or another. This duckling for instance," She pointed to the Ugly Duckling, "Cursed from the family. Cursed with its looks. I suppose Hansel and Gretel also have been cursed?"

"Yes ma'am," Hansel said, "Can't find our parents."

"And you..."

"Well," Freya picked aimlessly at her fingernail, "I suppose getting lost from my friend?"

Mother Hubbard nodded, "As for me, well, I have forty-two children! Not that I regret them at all, of course, but my curse is no spouse. There's not enough money to serve all their needs, for James almost died not more than a week ago from a sickness!"

Freya frowned around the table, "Well, if the land is cursed, why don't you just leave?" She asked idiotically.

"Because, silly, that's part of the curse! It's impossible to find a way back, unless you go the separate path, which I wouldn't suggest."

Freya's heart skipped a beat, "You mean the other path in the fork in the road? Where does that lead?" Freya panicky said, "Because I fear that was the path my friend may have taken."

Mother Hubbard sighed wearily, "That, my dear, is the Valley of the Fallen King. It is said there is a Beast who roams there, cursed from an old witch who punished him from his unkind ways," She sighed again, "I heard he was a lovely boy when he was human, very handsome and charming, but he had a heart of coldness, which lead to his downfall."

Freya took some time to process the information before realization hit her. That BEAST was with Merlin at this very moment and would probably kill Merlin if he had the chance. Oh god, what if he'd killed Merlin already? Freya got up from the table in a rush, "I'm sorry Mother Hubbard, I appreciate your hospitality, but I need to run off," she spoke in a breath, "Goodbye!"

Mother Hubbard sighed and looked around, "Children, let this be a lesson to you all: there is never a curse that can't be broken."

And they continued to eat.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Sorry for such a delay with an update! It's been a couple busy months I guess. My mother was in the hospital for literally forever and she finally came home and that took up some time. And I also had a trip to England for two weeks, which was beyond cool. But here you go, the next chapter. I wouldn't exactly call it my best, more for plot set ups. The writing isn't really good, but hopefully it subsides your criticism. Enjoy!_

The night was a crisp winter night, the beginnings of the cold weather crept up as the ground began to be a blanket of white. Merlin cuddled up in his blankets as he fell into a peaceful slumber for the night, surprisingly so- seeing as that he was trapped in a castle with a beast forever.

Warming up to The Beast would take time, Merlin knew that. The only thing that worried him was Freya and his mother. No one else in the town would miss him, except maybe Mordred, who would have to find another person to pick on. Freya was probably searching the whole entire forest by now, and Merlin prayed that she wouldn't enter the castle and be stuck here forever. Freya had much more friends in the town, she could find a nice life and not have the "quirky-lanky odd child" to be held back by. His mother was a different story. Everyone would call her crazy and tell her it wasn't that big of a deal. Sure, everyone in the town loved Hunith, but when it came to her son, the same acceptance wasn't received. Maybe Merlin could find a way to send a letter into town, tell his mother what happened, tell her not to worry. Of course, that wouldn't work. Hunith would still be worried sick, but at least she'd know where he was.

Merlin sighed and turned over in his bed, watching the snow fall from outside. The Beast was probably deep down- a very nice person. But that bit of kindness must have been buried deep down, _very _deep down. It was either be miserable for the rest of his life or try being friends with The Beast, and sure, Merlin could make that work.

Merlin found himself slowly drifting back to sleep.

The bright colors of the trees did not shine as brightly during the night as Freya ran to find her horse. Once she had heard "The Beast" she knew she had to find help, someone to find Merlin. Who would believe her? Many people adored her, of course, but how many could believe such a tale like this? A fairy tale, that's what this was.

Freya knew she wouldn't be able to conquer The Beast alone, she would need help from the town. Once she had finally found her horse, she kicked it quickly and made it dart back the trail they came. It didn't take that long until she saw the lamps lighting the cobble-stoned street leading into the town. Freya thought about giving her horse back to Gwen, but something prevented her from taking the right turn. She looked at the town clock and saw that it was very late at night, and most sane people would be asleep by now. Freya helplessly looked around and felt a spark of relief as she saw one of the small pubs open with lights glowing from within, the commotion of town folk and drunkards. She hopped off her horse and started towards the pub in a fast paced jog and hurriedly opened the door.

The first thing she saw was Mordred and many girls around him flaunting themselves. Freya usually didn't have a problem with Mordred - unless, of course, he was picking on Merlin - but she did find the women that flocked towards him nuisances. As far as Freya believed, Mordred just needed attention, and since his looks were decent, he took it as an advantage to get women.

The noise of the pub had quieted down a bit when Freya walked in. "Freya!" One of the usual customers - Gwaine - called over from the bar. Freya waved over frantically but didn't waste anytime - she stood on a table right away, drawing the attention of everyone. Unfortunately, the table she jumped on was full of drunk men, and they tried finding a way to get under her skirt. She shooed them away and screeched, which got everyone's attention. "Ah! Freya! What brings you here at this time of night?" Mordred called over from his spot on the wooden floor, where he was talking and flirting shamelessly with seven girls at once. Freya huffed her fringe away from her face and leapt of the table, which effectively made the whole pub intent on listening. "It's Merlin!" She spoke quickly. Her answer brought about many laughs and Mordred joined in, "Nerdy 'ol Merlin? What about him?" Morgana, that horrific whore that Mordred seemed to keep on a leash, spoke up. Freya glared but responded, "It's a Beast! A terrible Beast and it's got Merlin captive!" But no one took her seriously, as more laughter rang throughout the pub. "Merlin?" Mordred joked, "Merlin is being held captive? Can't he just read himself out of the situation?" And the pub erupted in laughs again. Freya was getting frustrated, couldn't they see how serious this situation was? A Beast - who Freya didn't even now how disturbing and terrifying it might be, and especially for Merlin, was out there. For all she knew Merlin was dead.

"Mordred!" Freya called out in anger, "I'm not joking about this! Merlin has been taken by a ferocious Beast that can probably take you all apart limb by limb in less than five minutes!" Freya outraged best she could manage. Mordred seemed to give her a thoughtful look. "Okay, _Freya_," He started out," If this Beast is real, what do you expect me to get out of it? Saving that poor sap means nothing to me," Mordred acted casually. Freya was steaming red in the face as she lost the little temper she had left and bellowed, "Because Merlin is my friend and you will do it because I've asked! Merlin has a mother he has left behind and Hunith has been kind to all of us, so the least we can do is save her only son," Freya glared menacingly at Mordred again, "And I expect you to save Merlin because all these little sluts hanging around you would probably happily sleep with you for being a 'hero'," Freya spit out. Mordred seemed to debate the problem for a bit and not before long did he finally begin to slowly nod. "Fine," he conceded, "I will save your precious Merlin..."

"Thank you-"

"In three days."

Freya faltered, three days? "Merlin could die by then," she whispered. Mordred shrugged his shoulders.

"Guess we'll just have to see."

At breakfast, Merlin spoke small talk with The Beast. By which he meant that Merlin mostly babbled on and The Beast (and if not actually- he pretended to) listened. Merlin found it incredibly strange how comfortable he was feeling that morning, had he not made a promise to be kept in this castle for as old as time? He should be upset - crying, even. Not sitting here conversing with a beast as if it were a human.

It wasn't a human... Was it?

In the middle of Merlin's sentence, The Beast got up and left the room. Rude.

Merlin sighed and rolled his eyes and picked up The Beast's overly-too-tiny-for-a-man-his-size teacup and placed his own in The Beast's dusty sink.

Merlin gave a bit of a funny look at the sink. Then he looked at the whole kitchen. Everything was so murky and dirty and dusty in this home, had no one cleaned this house in years? It appeared not.

Well, he could fix that.

"Sneezy! Dopey! Doc! Dwarves, come at once!" Merlin called out in the dark hall.

At once they did come, Grumpy grudgingly trudging behind. Merlin smiled and clasped his hands together. "How about a bit of spring cleaning chaps?" Merlin proposed cheekily.

"Be our guest," Grumpy grumbled. "Be our guest!" Dopy said in a chipper voice. Happy elbowed him in the side, "Put our service to the test!" He smiled brightly up at Merlin. "We'll supply the rest," Doc claimed and ran out to get supplies. "Why we only live to serve," Grumpy rolled his eyes and crossed them over his chest.

Soon all of them were bustling about. Sneezy and Sleepy began to dust up the hallways and the kitchen. Merlin laughed and whistled along as the Dwarves (with the exception of Grumpy) chorused along a certain sonnet. They rhymed and giggled as the house smelled like a fresh lemon and a water scent and cleanliness filled the air.

Merlin asked Doc to pick up the shredded pieces of glass that seemed to fill up the castle at unexpected corners. Merlin noticed for the first time that there were no mirrors in this place, and he wondered what The Beast had done with all of them. It didn't take a scientist to connect the dots though, and Merlin was filled with grief for The Beast's pain. What ever had happened to him that he was cursed with such an appearance?

Merlin came to another realization that all the curtains had been drawn in this castle, and no sunlight came through. Well, he could fix this too.

"Come on take a look!" Called Happy from a different hall. Merlin turned and made his way to see what success they had made.

The result had been remarkable. Not a spec of dust could be seen to Merlin's eyes as he looked at the almost glimmering floors and walls. The carpets looked cleaner and more vibrant, if that was even possible from their ugly and disturbing first look when Merlin had first arrived. The walls shone their blue, the carpets burst red, and the mahogany floor shinned with a bright gleam. Merlin clapped and exclaimed his approving attitude, "Excellent!"

"We're never second best," winked Bashful, surprisingly. "Come on and lift your feet, and sit on down and be our guest," Bashful smiled proud. Merlin smiled back.

"Be our guest," huffed Grumpy and turned on his heal out. Merlin gave him a look from the back of his head and shook his head.

The Dwarves began to smile and cheer and gratefully took a sit down. Merlin saw how exhausted the labor had taken a toll and couldn't blame them, but the result was marvelous.

He would take the curtains down and be done with cleaning for today, Merlin decided. He took a small wooden ladder that Doc had taken out and leaned it against the wall and started to climb up. Once he made his way up the ladder, he went to rip the curtain down, but found that it seemed as though it was nailed into the wall. That just wouldn't do. Merlin tugged and tugged at the curtain and found that it was very much stuck on the wall. Maybe if he just added a little bit more of his strength...

That was a wrong move. Merlin tugged more than he had intended and swung off his ladder and began to fall to the ground. The length to the tall ceiling and the low floor was so great Merlin doubted he would make it to the ground without breaking something.

But Merlin didn't hit the glistening mahogany floor. Instead, he fell in a heap in something furry. He opened his eyes to find The Beast's seemingly black eyes looking at him. Merlin stared and opened and closed his mouth multiple times, unable to comprehend words. Was The Beast mad that Merlin wanted to clean up HIS castle? What would he do when he was angry? Would falling in the mahogany have been less painful?

"T-thank you," Merlin stammered out. The Beast placed Merlin on the ground, safe. The Beast looked around and then back at Merlin. "It seems you cleaned up the place..." he stated, not showing his emotion about it. Merlin began to panic, repeating 'please don't be mad, please don't be mad' in his mind.

"It's... nice," and Merlin could almost hear the hint of a smile. Merlin smiled hugely in surprise and looked at The Beast in amusement. "Really?" Merlin asked, his blue eyes shining up into The Beast's. The Beast did not say a word, he only glanced up at the curtains Merlin was attempting to take down, then looked back at Merlin.

"Do you need some help with that?"


End file.
